Newsletter

Newsletter The Women’s Health Activist® is a bimonthly publication of the National Women’s Health Network. We’d like to hear from you. Please e-mail questions or comments to editor@nwhn.org.

2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012

Making It Personal: The 1 in 3 Campaign Aims to Change the Abortion Debate

January/February 2012

by Debra Hauser

The Congressional debate over abortion in the Affordable Care Act and the set-back to abortion coverage that the resulting law imposed was a wake-up call for the reproductive rights movement. Not only did the movement fail to block the addition of anti-choice restrictions to health care reform, but it also failed at key points during the legislative battle to fight those restrictions in a way that challenged the injustice and devastating health impact women have suffered already as a result of existing restrictions on federal funding for abortion care. As pro-choice Congressional leaders attempted to fight off new restrictions on abortion access, they described the prohibition on federal funding for abortion as the status quo, accepted that the Affordable Care Act would not change that, and in the end, voted for a bill that denied access to abortion for many women – particularly poor women and younger women. Why were movement leaders so unable to shape the debate in a way that allowed them to speak about the importance of access to abortion and the unfairness of denying it to the most vulnerable and underserved women?

Young Feminists: A Dependent Adult

January/February 2012

By Jacqueline Plunkett

It was October of my freshman year at Penn State University, and I awoke in a panic. The pain seared across my lower back and wrapped around my hips. I tried to get out of my bed and found that the pain was so intense that any time I moved my legs, I felt as though I was being stabbed in the back. I yelled across the room to wake my roommate. She called my brother, a senior at Penn State at the time, and he immediately picked me up at my dorm and took me to the hospital.

Excuse Me, Is that a Metal-on-Metal Device You’re Wearing?

January/February 2012

By Charlea T. Massion, MD & Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD

Hip replacement, a surgical procedure where the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic device, is usually done to relieve severe pain and mobility problems in a natural joint damaged by arthritis or trauma. Usually, both the “ball” (i.e., femoral head) and “socket” (i.e., acetabulum) are replaced, with excellent results. Unsuccessful hip replacement, however, can result in more pain and an inability to walk at all. And, devices with a metal ball and socket (metal-on-metal, or MoM) can cause other problems, some of which are extremely dangerous. Astonishingly, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows some types of joint replacement devices to be used without any clinical studies on safety or efficacy.

Snapshots

November/December 2011

 

A study conducted for six Iowa-based Planned Parenthood of the Heartland clinics measured the effectiveness and acceptability of several different kinds of medical abortion procedures using RU486. Researchers followed 450 women who had an abortion between 2008 and 2009. Half of the women had a medical abortion and an in-person physician office visit; the other half had a medical abortion and a telemedicine visit, in which the woman spoke to her doctor via video tele-conferencingequipment. The study found that women who had the telemedicine visit for their medical abortion were just as likely to have a successful abortion as did women who had an in-person physician’s visit. Among the women, 91% of all clients were “very satisfied” with their abortion experience, although telemedicine clients were more likely than in-person clients to say they would recommend the services to a friend. For women who live in areas with limited access to abortion services, or who have difficulty traveling or taking time off work, a telemedically-supervised medical abortion can help overcome barriers to reproductive healthcare.

The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, August 2011

Young Feminist: Women in Medicine

November/December 2011

By Vida Rostami

In August, I boxed up my belongings, traveled 700 miles, unpacked my belongings, took on a huge debt, met about 100 new people, received a white coat — and braced myself for the four years of my journey as a medical student. The process included a week of orientation filled with activities designed to help us adapt to our new role as medical students. Thus far, all of my experiences have been thrilling… especially the student organizations fair held a few days ago. I made a beeline for the Medical Students for Choice group. With eagerness, I talked with the group leaders, learned about the functions they organize, and quickly signed up to be my class representative. I then made my way to the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) and the Obstetrics-Gynecology Interest Group. 
 

Improving the Health of LGBT People: How Being Counted Counts

November/December

By Cheri Pies

The March 2011 release of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Consensus Report, The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender [LGBT] People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding confirmed what so many of us have known for decades: despite some valuable and important research about the health of LGBT populations, there is still a great deal we don’t know — and even more we need to learn — in order to improve the overall health of LGBT individuals and eliminate health disparities.ii Differences in sexual behavior account for some of these disparities, but others are associated with social and structural inequities, such as the stigma and discrimination that LGBT populations experience.”iv These data provide a sobering picture of the stress and social isolation experienced by LGBT individuals.

The IOM Report

Osteoporosis: Its Time to Stop Screening and Treating Healthy Women

November/December 2011

By Cindy Pearson

One after another, I watched the women come to the microphone. We had been sitting near each other all morning, waiting to speak at a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) meeting on osteoporosis. I went first, then sat down to watch the other speakers. Nearly a dozen women had come to tell their stories. Some were nervous. Others spoke confidently in front of the large crowd. They were from all around the country, and a variety of backgrounds.  I listened carefully as they spoke, but I was also struck by what I was seeing.

A Win for Women’s Health Access, a Win for the Network!

November/December 2011

By Keely Monroe 

Women’s health advocates are celebrating an historic victory — the new requirement that insurance companies must cover contraception without any additional charges!  Because the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires all new insurance plans to cover preventive health services without any co-pays, and because the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) followed the medical experts’ recommendation that contraception be recognized as appropriate preventive health care for women, women will benefit from this new coverage requirement starting as soon as August 2012. The National Women’s Health Network and many other women’s health groups worked long and hard, over many years, for this important advance for women’s health and women’s health access. 

G-Spots and Sore Spots

November/December

G-Spots

Although male breast cancer is rare, 2,100 men are diagnosed with the cancer every year in the U.S. When uninsured South Carolinian Raymond Johnson learned the pain in his chest was a breast tumor, he was equally worried about the cancer diagnosis and paying for treatment. When he applied for Medicaid coverage under the Medicaid’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act, he was told the program only covers women. Thankfully, Johnson appealed and was approved for coverage. His case has sparked media about male breast cancer and equitable Medicaid eligibility. 

She said what?

November/December 2011

By Cindy Pearson

Sometimes I have trouble writing a column that I know won’t be read for a few weeks.  I struggle to write something that will seem relevant, even though I can’t predict what will be happening in the future.  This time, it’s easy to predict one thing that will be happening when you read this column: presidential candidates will be saying crazy things about health care. 

No Bones About It: Calcium is Confusing

November/December 2011

By Rachel Walden

For decades, women have heard: “Make sure to get enough calcium; maybe even take a daily calcium supplement!” Calcium is key to building and maintaining strong bones and, for women, there is particular focus on preventing osteoporosis and broken bones (especially broken hips), making us a key audience for companies selling calcium supplements. The real story on calcium is not quite so simple, however, and scientists are still trying to sort out the good and bad of both dietary calcium and calcium supplementation.

Prescription for Change: Avast Avastin!

September/October 2011

By Charlea T. Massion, MD & Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD

Why won’t ineffective treatments go away? The story of the use of Avastin for breast cancer treatment is a cautionary tale about how pharmaceutical companies dupe health care providers and consumers into accepting — even demanding — inferior drugs, and bully Federal agencies trying to protect the public.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Too Much Pink, Not Enough Progress

September/October 2011

 

After 20 years of pink ribbons, there’s more awareness of breast cancer but, in our opinion, not nearly enough commitment to real change — which is badly needed. Breast cancer is still too common, treatment is still too invasive, and the disease still can’t be cured once it’s spread. The articles in this issue look at tough issues that aren’t talked about often enough.

Do you want to join this group?

November/December 2011

 

Who wouldn’t? It’s election time again, and the National Women’s Health Network is inviting nominations for our board of directors.  All NWHN members will have a chance to vote for the new board during the Spring 2012 elections.  We are seeking candidates who understand and agree with the NWHN’s mission and goals and who are committed to the activist nature of the organization.  We seek diversity in race, class, age, sexual identity and geographic location, and candidates who have varied skills and experiences in women’s health.  All applicants must be NWHN members.

No to Co-Pays, Yes to Listening to Women! 

September/October 2011

 By Cynthia Pearson

How many times have you stood at the pharmacist’s counter and felt that “ouch” when you find out what your co-pay will be? Or been told that you’ll have to pay the full cost of an exam because you haven’t met your annual deductible, and then decided to put off your check-up because you couldn’t afford it? 

Bone Metastases, Henna Head, & the Senses

September/October 2011

By Christine Grundoon

You’re Too Young for Cancer: The Unintentional Advocate

September/October 2011

By Kat Werner

It was Friday, June 9, 2006 at 3:32 pm in the afternoon. I will remember it for as long as I live. “You have breast cancer, a very aggressive type,” the voice on the other end of the phone line informed me: “This needs to be dealt with immediately.”